Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Ok, I finally got the website to work- Apparently they changed their business plan or something. It's still Cooper Spirits, but instead of going after the historical aspects of Rock and Rye, they turned it into some nudie hipster stuff and watered it down to 84 proof. Sad, sad, sad. Another good product ruined!

If you have anything Michter's or Pennco and would like to sell it or share it with me, please let me know.

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Originally Posted by ethangsmith

Ok, I finally got the website to work- Apparently they changed their business plan or something. It's still Cooper Spirits, but instead of going after the historical aspects of Rock and Rye, they turned it into some nudie hipster stuff and watered it down to 84 proof. Sad, sad, sad. Another good product ruined!

Have never looked for this before (and wasn't really looking this past weekend) but stumbled upon it while looking for other stuff.

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Greetings all, first time here. Full disclosure, I'm the VP Marketing at Cooper Spirits, and I wanted to tell you a bit more about Slow & Low (if you'll forgive me).

We are big rye whiskey enthusiasts here, and we often bemoaned the lack of product integrity in the so-called "flavored whiskey" category. As I'm sure you're aware, there is plenty of caramel color and dubious neutral grain spirits with 'whiskey flavoring' out there. We wanted to create a bottled whiskey cocktail that people who actually love whiskey could enjoy on its own - something to just open and pour.

In the summer of 2011, we introduced a prototype of Slow & Low to our friends in the bar trade at Tales of the Cocktail, down in New Orleans. It was indeed a 98 proof product that used a six year straight rye as its foundation. While it was warmly received, even this hardcore crew of drinkers were getting absolutely floored after a couple of drinks. We wanted to create a serious product for whiskey drinkers, but this had professionals rolling around on the sidewalks. In addition to turning well-meaning adults into threats to public decency, the extremely high proof also had consequences for the flavor profile. We wanted real rye whiskey spice and character, but we wanted a balanced drink that you could enjoy sipping as much as shooting. Because we feel that most of the products currently available are too syrupy and sweet, there was no way we were going to add more honey or sugar to achieve that balance. We determined the ideal sugar content by crafting our ideal Old Fashioned (with a bar spoon of sugar) and using a hydrometer - they came out to right around 5% sugar by volume, which is what we use in Slow & Low.

The new Slow & Low now stands at a humane 84 proof. The foundation is still straight rye whiskey, and we are using a blend of straight ryes aged from 2 years to 10 years. It is still predominantly six year straight rye, but the younger and older whiskies allow us to achieve that balance. We now feel we have a much better drinking product, balancing the spicy rye whiskey, the citrus peel (we use air-dried navel oranges from Florida - good enough to chew on their own, even better soaked in whiskey), a touch of honey (100% raw honey, sourced locally from Western Pennsylvania), and horehound (an herb commonly found in bitters, as well as vintage candies and drops).

I wanted to be fully transparent here, no marketing hocus pocus, because we admire and respect the serious whiskey drinker. It's why we created the product in the first place, and I would hate for you to dismiss it outright because of the lower proof or because of a packaging refresh. We are a very small, family-owned company and we are driven by a passion to create integrity-driven products. Thanks for hearing me out!

Originally Posted by tanstaafl2

Have never looked for this before (and wasn't really looking this past weekend) but stumbled upon it while looking for other stuff.

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

As one of the recent posters in this thread no need to ask for forgiveness on my account. I for one welcome the opportunity for open discourse with the people behind the products. Thanks for stopping in to provide your insight!

While the new website marketing probably isn't really aimed at me (a 50+ "non-hipster" in just about every way possible!) I appreciate the willingness to reach out to us. As a member of a group that routinely drinks straight whiskey at proofs well above 100 I kind of have to wonder a bit about those hardcore drinkers getting bombed on this (I am guessing maybe other things were also consumed given what I have heard about TOTC!) but I am willing to consider putting both that and the interesting marketing approach aside and consider the merit of this product based on the contents in the bottle.

Can you share whether you part of the contingent of producers who acquires their rye whiskey from our friends in Lawrenceburg, IN? Can't recall what, if anything, the bottle indicated.

I should note that, as a big fan of AE rum cask rye (who have acknowledged that their rye came from MGPI), I have no problems at all with that distiller as a source and am curious to know primarily in the pursuit of honesty in marketing.

That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat like honey dew vine water and I took another slash…

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to learning a lot from everyone!

We use a proprietary blend of aged straight rye whiskies from across the US and Canada, including some (but certainly not exclusive to) MGPI.

Originally Posted by tanstaafl2

As one of the recent posters in this thread no need to ask for forgiveness on my account. I for one welcome the opportunity for open discourse with the people behind the products. Thanks for stopping in to provide your insight!

While the new website marketing probably isn't really aimed at me (a 50+ "non-hipster" in just about every way possible!) I appreciate the willingness to reach out to us. As a member of a group that routinely drinks straight whiskey at proofs well above 100 I kind of have to wonder a bit about those hardcore drinkers getting bombed on this (I am guessing maybe other things were also consumed given what I have heard about TOTC!) but I am willing to consider putting both that and the interesting marketing approach aside and consider the merit of this product based on the contents in the bottle.

Can you share whether you part of the contingent of producers who acquires their rye whiskey from our friends in Lawrenceburg, IN? Can't recall what, if anything, the bottle indicated.

I should note that, as a big fan of AE rum cask rye (who have acknowledged that their rye came from MGPI), I have no problems at all with that distiller as a source and am curious to know primarily in the pursuit of honesty in marketing.

Re: Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

Well this certainly changes my outlook on the product. While I really love the high proof of the original, I will be sure to buy a new lower proof one and I hope it's as excellent as the 98 proof version. It's not often we get someone on here taking the time to answer questions! Thank you! My only concern is the hipster look the product has taken. I understand this is the new whiskey crowd, but are you risking alienating the traditional Eastern Pennsylvania Rock and Rye drinkers? It's too bad you can't keep both versions (The 98 and 84 proof) as I buy the 98 proof in quantity during the winter months. My wife and I kill colds and flus with the stuff. It Rocks! (Pun intended...)

If you have anything Michter's or Pennco and would like to sell it or share it with me, please let me know.